Archive: Sep 2010

To burn fat without losing muscle there are two options when it comes to cardio and they’re at extreme opposite ends of the spectrum. You can either do very high intensity cardio (sprint). Or you can very low intensity cardio (walk). It’s the midrange stuff that presents a problem for most people. When you hop on a machine and go at it with moderate-high intensity for 30-40 minutes you will get all of the negative effects associated with cardio (increased cortisol, muscle loss, overuse injuries, decreased power output- meaning you’ll be less explosive, etc.). continue reading.

By Eric Cressey I’ve loved reading Jason’s stuff ever since we first connected back around 2003 because his roots – like mine – are in training athletes.  Getting guys bigger and leaner was always great, but at the end of the day, it was about improving performance and keeping guys on the field, ice, or court. That’s not to say that athletes can’t have their cake and eat it, too, though. In other words, gaining muscle mass, dropping body fat, improving performance, and staying healthy aren’t mutually exclusive goals.  We do it every single winter when dozens… continue reading.

Question: Jay, I know we have touched on this in the past (the optimal way to lose fat, while holding onto as much muscle as possible). However, lately I have had a chance to look at some different fat loss programs and wanted to get your feedback. From past forum discussions in the past it seems like the main components of a solid program for fat loss while maintaining muscle are: 1. Diet 2. Conditioning Short intense -(Hill Sprints, Jump Rope) and Walking in the morning 3. Lifting heavy with basic compound… continue reading.

By Dave Ruel, “The Muscle Cook” Makes 1 Serving (6 pancakes) Ingredients * – 1/4 cup oatmeal * – 6 egg whites * – 1 tbsp ground flax * – 1/2 tbsp cinnamon * – 1/4 teaspoon of Baking Soda * – 1 teaspoon of Splenda Directions * 1. First heat a frying pan until hot and then reduce to medium temperature. * 2. After mixing together all the ingredients in a blender, spray some pam (or other cooking spray), drop by spoonful onto the plan, flipping… continue reading.

By Tom Venuto “How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?” That’s right up there with “How do I get six pack abs” as one of the most frequently asked fitness questions of all time. The problem is, when you ask it, you get all kinds of conflicting answers – even from experts who are supposed to know these things. So what’s the deal? Is it really possible to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously? Short answer: Yes it’s possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Long answer: It’s difficult… continue reading.

By Nick Nilsson Overtraining is NOT evil. In fact, overtraining can be exactly what you need to achieve continuous and rapid results in your training and breakthrough muscle-building plateaus! So first, what IS overtraining? Overtraining is, most simply, training too much. Your body is unable to recover from the volume or frequency of training and begins to break down. You not only lose motivation to train, you become more susceptible to injury and illness, and you may even start to go backwards in your training, getting smaller and weaker on almost a daily basis. So how can overtraining possibly be… continue reading.

I’ve been a little short on time the last week, working on some new projects so today’s post is taken from a question in the Renegade Inner Circle… Question: I’m curious about peoples thoughts on the whole idea of beginner gains, I noticed a lot of places on the net, say that if a beginner starts working out that they can gain 20 pounds pretty easily. What if your workouts and nutrition sucked when you were a beginner, and you never gained those 20 pounds? Is that window gone for when you get your shit in order? Jay I’ve… continue reading.